Kate
Okay parents, what are your best tips for traveling by plane with a toddler? I mean airport tips, on the plane tips, everything. Give me some serious do's and don'ts! What has worked best for you?
Answer
Age?
For the airport:
1) Dress comfortably and wear slip-on/slip-off shoes if you have a comfortable pair and can wear them.
2) Bring a stroller, but make it a cheap one. Every stroller I've flown with got broken by the time we got there.
3) Bring a leash so that they can run off energy but no one will step between the two of you, or she won't get a bit further from you than you expect and take off on a speed-way or escalator or something.
For the plane:
1) Make sure they have their own seat and car seat. Safety is important here, and trying to hold them on your lap is uncomfortable for both of you, even if it's just 20 minutes. If there's turbulence a lap-baby can easily fly into overhead compartments, trying to hold onto them is extremely difficult and impossible at times. They need their seat and a comfortable car seat helps so much. If you're lucky, the familiarity of the seat and comfort of it will put them to sleep. :)
2) Pay the extra to have a TV they can watch, or bring a compact DVD player with movies/shows that will fascinate them. This isn't the time to argue about whether kids can watch TV. If some inane cartoon helps them to relax, use it.
3) Buy salt water taffy, you can usually find it at whole-foods type stores. Lollipops are another good choice, but my go-to travel candy is salt-water taffy (my 5 year old calls it the airplane candy since we rarely have it any other time.) It causes them to chew for a long period and then swallowing, just like gum, but they can swallow it so it's appropriate for littler kids. This helps with the cabin pressure changes so their ears pop, and if it's painful when their ears pop then the sweetness helps them deal with it.
4) If they're old enough for crayons and coloring books, then do it. If they like cars, then get something like that. Whatever your child seems to enjoy. You can never have too many distractions, so pulling out new toys they've never seen can definitely buy you time. And note, if you both buy a seat then you both get carry-ons... making it much easier to bring that sort of stuff.
5) Invest in quality diapers. You know the ones you buy when they get sick that never leak and never have blow-outs? Get them. They'll always have diarrhea on the plane, and leak. Bring bags to take dirty diapers with you, you can't throw them away in the lavatory usually and no one wants to smell that.
6) Bring a change of clothes for them and you if possible. I've never had one of my kids throw up on me on the plane, but you know the moment you don't bring a change of outfits for them and you they will.
7) Bring food in your travel bags. Enough for a few hours at least if not a full 12 hours, as well as money to buy food. I've gotten stuck at an airport for 5 hours before during bad weather. And then once we arrived every restaurant was closed, my FIL left us stranded with no way to get any food for us and not taking us to eat somewhere first, and the only food I had was what I had packed for my daughter. We went hungry, she did not.
Age?
For the airport:
1) Dress comfortably and wear slip-on/slip-off shoes if you have a comfortable pair and can wear them.
2) Bring a stroller, but make it a cheap one. Every stroller I've flown with got broken by the time we got there.
3) Bring a leash so that they can run off energy but no one will step between the two of you, or she won't get a bit further from you than you expect and take off on a speed-way or escalator or something.
For the plane:
1) Make sure they have their own seat and car seat. Safety is important here, and trying to hold them on your lap is uncomfortable for both of you, even if it's just 20 minutes. If there's turbulence a lap-baby can easily fly into overhead compartments, trying to hold onto them is extremely difficult and impossible at times. They need their seat and a comfortable car seat helps so much. If you're lucky, the familiarity of the seat and comfort of it will put them to sleep. :)
2) Pay the extra to have a TV they can watch, or bring a compact DVD player with movies/shows that will fascinate them. This isn't the time to argue about whether kids can watch TV. If some inane cartoon helps them to relax, use it.
3) Buy salt water taffy, you can usually find it at whole-foods type stores. Lollipops are another good choice, but my go-to travel candy is salt-water taffy (my 5 year old calls it the airplane candy since we rarely have it any other time.) It causes them to chew for a long period and then swallowing, just like gum, but they can swallow it so it's appropriate for littler kids. This helps with the cabin pressure changes so their ears pop, and if it's painful when their ears pop then the sweetness helps them deal with it.
4) If they're old enough for crayons and coloring books, then do it. If they like cars, then get something like that. Whatever your child seems to enjoy. You can never have too many distractions, so pulling out new toys they've never seen can definitely buy you time. And note, if you both buy a seat then you both get carry-ons... making it much easier to bring that sort of stuff.
5) Invest in quality diapers. You know the ones you buy when they get sick that never leak and never have blow-outs? Get them. They'll always have diarrhea on the plane, and leak. Bring bags to take dirty diapers with you, you can't throw them away in the lavatory usually and no one wants to smell that.
6) Bring a change of clothes for them and you if possible. I've never had one of my kids throw up on me on the plane, but you know the moment you don't bring a change of outfits for them and you they will.
7) Bring food in your travel bags. Enough for a few hours at least if not a full 12 hours, as well as money to buy food. I've gotten stuck at an airport for 5 hours before during bad weather. And then once we arrived every restaurant was closed, my FIL left us stranded with no way to get any food for us and not taking us to eat somewhere first, and the only food I had was what I had packed for my daughter. We went hungry, she did not.
What are some good toddler travel toys?
KL
I am going on an airplane with my 18 mo. old dd. and she'll be sitting on my lap through the flights. They are not too long, about 1 1/2 hours each (of course, if she screams the whole time, it could feel like an eternity :). I'm kinda nervous about her not being able to have a lot of room to roam. Any good suggestions on portables toys or activities that would keep her occupied?
Answer
I also have an 18 month old and we travel frequently.
We bring reusable stickers, Playmobil 1.2.3. figures (for imaginitive play), books and some snacks (preferably small items like dried apples that take a while to eat).
I have more tips in this article about keeping your toddler occupied on a plane:
http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2007/nov/16/ten-tips-keeping-toddler-occupied-plane/
and general advice about traveling with young children on my webstie
http://www.deliciousbaby.com
I also have an 18 month old and we travel frequently.
We bring reusable stickers, Playmobil 1.2.3. figures (for imaginitive play), books and some snacks (preferably small items like dried apples that take a while to eat).
I have more tips in this article about keeping your toddler occupied on a plane:
http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2007/nov/16/ten-tips-keeping-toddler-occupied-plane/
and general advice about traveling with young children on my webstie
http://www.deliciousbaby.com
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment